Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) Short thread: The Dunedin, NZ, supermarket mass murder attempt case from May 10, 2021.

The 42yo man charged with 4 counts of attempted murder is set to appear in court today.

Currently it APPEARS to be a "random attack." I will provide updates in this thread.

https://twitter.com/NewshubNZ/status/1391915861095575553

(2) Local time is 1pm, so the first court appearance is not far away.

I want people to know that criminal case reporting in NZ is very different from that in the USA.

Temporary name suppression is usually ordered, and respected by professional media. IMO, it's a good thing.

(3) Since the pandemic began, supermarket workers around NZ have borne the brunt of real physical violence & all manner of psychological violence.

In this case, a worker was stabbed, another came to help, got stabbed, then two bystanders did the same.

Such great COURAGE.

(4) I suspect the reason the PM felt confident enough to say this was NOT "domestic terrorism" (ie political violence) is due to police reports of the suspect's behavior & words, including even as he was led away.

Reportedly he has "no fixed abode" or "listed occupation."

(5) Normally, I go to great lengths to say "alleged" actions, but that eats up limited Twitter characters, & this attack was recorded on CCTV.

I predict we'll learn that the suspect's mental health & possible substance abuse will end up as the main reason for the attack.

(6) While it often doesn't seem great, NZ does have excellent mental health laws & universally available services for those with the most severe illness. Compared to the US, where it can be hard to have the dangerously ill detained for more than 72hrs, to protect the public.

(7) Unfortunately for NZ, instances of mental health services failure regularly leads to severe harm to, and even the death of, innocent bystanders, family, or first responders. Most MH workers do their best, but no country has a failsafe MH system year in, year out.

(8) The Dunedin attack yesterday immediately brought up feelings still raw from the March 15, 2019 attack in nearby Christchurch. The killer of 50 innocents at two Mosques had lived in Dunedin & planned to attack there, & changed his mind at last min.

All Kiwis hurt from this.

(9) I can scarcely read or write about the 2019 attack... as a sensitive soul who knows how easily one's life turned upside down by terrorism, other crime, earthquakes etc. I know people who know people injured in the Mosques attack.

I knew the pandemic would increase risk.

(10) Whether or not the offender's mental state was affected by the pandemic, it's fair to say the pandemic has worsened the mental health of millions, including those experiencing mental health issues for the first time. Services are less available. Media overdo Covid coverage.

(11) My heart goes out to NZ's supermarket workers, first responders, and their families, especially those in Dunedin. Usually they don't have the luxury of being able to minimize their exposure to violence, or illness that can be brought home and risk vulnerable family members.

(12) Another group in mind today are those with Indian subcontinent ancestry, who have been coming here for more than a century, because we share a British Commonwealth legacy of skilled worker migration and settlement.

The Mosque attacks targeted them on race AND religion.

(13) Ordinarily, a stabbing case like this would not garner this much attention, but we are especially raw at the moment. It's a reminder to do what we can to comfort and assist those who are worse off than we are.

Violence, and racism, are forms of unfairness (and stupidity.)

(14) And then there's this great man, who left a 70 year legacy of interfaith dialogue that his descendants will continue. I didn't know the extent of his public service promoting religious pluralism until he passed away.

It makes me admire Prince Philip even more.

(15) At the start of the pandemic I wrote about needing to adopt the morale of the Brits in the Second World War, to get through it as best we can. Every day, when I am confronted by yet another pandemic related problem to solve, I keep them in mind.

https://twitter.com/FreedomFriesInc/status/1246895773037416449

(16)Tempted to apologize for claiming this would be a "short" thread of case updates then adopting Public Morale Officer mode. Not going to apologize, though. I believe in thinking of the needs of others, and bringing positivity to situations, esp. when facing something negative.

(17) The Dunedin attacker tried to kill four innocent people yesterday. They survived, thanks to first aiders, first responders, and surgical teams.

And who knows how many others would have been targeted if they hadn't stepped up.

I feel a mix of pride & renewed hope.

(18) That snippet is from:
odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/a…

In it there are more details, including that the stabbing occurred in the pharmacy section of the store, & that the offender was well known to staff and the public.

Sounds like meth abuse to me, but we'll find out.

(19) I feel a need to share what I learned when working in relevant government agencies years ago:

NZ law provides for the kind of detention and treatment that might have prevented this attack.

Obviously, certain operational decisions were not made.

(20) Dammit. That link in tweet (18) is broken, and I'm near-certain that's because the court literally made an (information) suppression order just after I saw the story.

It's 2.30pm local time, & courtroom reporters prob took story down to re-do it:

odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/c…

(21) Everyone here knows that in a case like this the suspect always gets temporary name suppression. The court also needs to shut down the kind of chatter that was in the original article. Media try to publish before the order is made. The public can screenshot that.

(22) I didn't screenshot the info, and I'm kind of glad I didn't. Because that makes it harder for anyone to accuse me of breaching the order.

The main thing is that this suspect will stay in custody now. No bail application has a hope in hell.

(23) Daily reminder that when I suggest substance abuse may be a factor in a heinous crime, it's to raise awareness about public safety policies that can address the problem, and not to excuse behavior. Ever.